Dr. Jose Rizal monument to rise in Daly City

By Claire Morales True, Posted onJanuary 23, 2026

https://www.philippinenews.com/dr-jose-rizal-monument-to-rise-in-daly-city/

SAN FRANCISCO – A monument of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal will soon rise beside the Gellert Park Library in Daly City.

The project was unveiled as the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco joined the commemoration last December of the 129th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. José Rizal with a wreath-laying ceremony and hosting of the formal launch of the Rizal Monument Installation Project in Daly City.

The Rizal monument is expected to be unveiled in 2026, it was learned.

 The commemoration program was held at Philippine Consulate’s Kalayaan Hall and Sentro Rizal, Philippine Center and led by Acting Head of Post Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil.

The commemoration brought together officers and members of the Knights of Rizal – Sacramento Chapter, Daly City officials, leaders of the Dr. José Rizal Legacy International Foundation, and members of the Filipino American community.

In her remarks, Consul Pangilinan-Daquipil underscored Rizal’s enduring relevance, describing him as the First Filipino — one who imagined the Filipino as a moral and civic identity shaped by reason, education, and dignity. 

She emphasized that Rizal’s ideas continue to guide Filipinos at home and abroad, particularly in diaspora communities such as Daly City, often regarded as the gateway of Filipinos in America.

The program featured a brief lecture on Rizal by historian MC Canlas, messages from Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo and Dr. Jose Rizal Legacy International Foundation President Mrs. Polly Cortez, and the unveiling of the official rendering of the Daly City Rizal Monument, led by sculptor Elaine Antonio Bordeaux.

A symbolic turnover of Rizal books from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to the Dr. José Rizal Legacy International Foundation highlighted the shared commitment to preserving Rizal’s intellectual legacy.

Through the commemoration and the launch of the Rizal Monument Project in Daly City, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco reaffirmed its commitment to promoting Philippine history, cultural and national values among overseas Filipinos. (Caire Morales True)